Sorry! This chapter gave me some headaches, along with just losing willpower to write at one or two points. But it's here! And I've started Chapter 6, and my contest entry is done, so the next chapter should come up much faster, granted I get it done before school starts next week. Ick.

Major thanks again to everyone who reviewed, and to my beta-reader, PerennialLurker. She puts up with a lot.

This is one of the shorter chapters, although not real short. This chapter's reward for reviews is a Chad plushie! There's not enough love for the guy, there really isn't, and because there isn't, it was really hard to write from his POV. Damn you, Kubo.

Chapter 5

Man to man

The next morning, at Karakura High, Orihime, Ichigo, Ishida, and Sado were gathered around in a circle in their classroom. They seemed oblivious to the world around them – Orihime was so focused on the paper in her hand that she didn't notice Chizuru's hand creeping over her shoulder, and Ichigo made no response to Keigo's repeated questions. They were utterly silent until Tatsuki walked briskly in.

Seeing their horrified expressions, she hurried over to them, and peered over Orihime's shoulder. "Hey, what's – whoa."

She took a step back in trepidation. "Damn. Are those your missed assignments?"

Ishida's face pinched as if he was in pain, and he swallowed forcefully. "Unfortunately, yes." He dropped the small stack of papers onto a nearby desk, and collapsed into a chair. "This will take weeks. On top of the other homework we are receiving, we need to complete all of these missed assignments." He rubbed a hand over his face. "I knew the list would be long, but seeing it makes it so much worse."

"Six. Pages," Ichigo enunciated each word as his grip tightened on the packet. "And here I was thinking that Shinji giving me a few weeks to catch up was too much."

Tatsuki put her hands on her hips, and scratched an itch on her leg with her foot as she thought something over. "Well," she stated after a few moments, "why don't you four get together as a study group? All of you are in the top 25 of the class, so if you put your heads together, you should be able to get through all of the assignments easily."

Sado nodded appreciatively. "Sounds good. We could meet a different house each day, plus weekends."

"Not at my house," Ichigo said quickly. His shoulders hunched when Ishida and Tatsuki frowned at him. "Oh, come on. Three of you have seen my dad. We'll never get any work done between the clinic stuff, his antics, and my sisters."

"Hmph. Ichigo just doesn't like us."

Ichigo scowled heavily as he turned around to see Rukia standing behind him, wearing a cheesy grin. "Shut up. You of all people should understand. There's no way I'm bringing Ishida, Chad, or Inoue there."

He placed a slight emphasis on "Inoue", and Rukia frowned for a moment before understanding what he meant. Her grin became slightly amused as she realized that the last thing Ichigo would want to do was bring home the girl he walked home the day before, especially if he didn't want his family getting the wrong idea. She backpedaled furiously. "Ah, um, true. I have a hard time concentrating there, too."

Ochi-sensei kicked open the door, and hollered at everyone to get into their seats. As everyone made the daily scramble back to their desks, Rukia noticed that Shinji's desk was empty.

Wait a second. Why isn't he here? I understand why Hitsugaya-taichou's not here, she looked over at the captain's vacant seat, but why wouldn't Shinji be here? Especially the day after he asks us to do something for him? she sighed, and fixed her skirt before sitting down at her desk. I'll just have to tell him what I learned from Orihime tomorrow. She was annoyed by his absence, but her focus on the lesson soon made her forget about him.

While Rukia learned about the Edo period, the school-skipping Vizard, who would have given Rukia much more accurate information than her teacher, having lived through the period as a human and a shinigami, was down in Urahara's training ground. Wearing his usual attire of a buttoned-up shirt, slacks, tie, and tweed cap, Shinji seemed to have no intention of going to school that day.

Part of the reason he was skipping was because he was seeing off his friends. Most of the other Vizards were bound for Soul Society that morning, where they would be extensively investigating the mystery surrounding Ichigo, Orihime, and their inexplicable bond for the next couple of weeks.

He smiled internally at the glum expressions around him. Even Riza and Rose, both true bibliophiles, seemed unenthusiastic at the thought of pouring over books and wandering around in the Great Spirit Library, which housed over a million volumes, and extended underground for a radius of a mile, with kidou wards and traps guarding the more dangerous sections, all the while looking for references to a phenomenon that, at best, might only have been experienced by ten or so individuals in the Soul Society's long history. Most of the Vizards were sure they wouldn't find anything.

But they had to try.

Rose stifled a yawn, and Kensei rubbed his half-closed eyes. Shinji chuckled as everyone struggled in some way to stay awake. If going to school had done any good for him, it was in making him more of a morning person. He was well used to the early hours, unlike his companions.

"Here we go."

Everyone stood to attention as Urahara got up from his crouching position. The senkaimon he was preparing opened. "This will lead you to the west Rukongai. Kyouraku-taichou told me that his vice-captain will be waiting for you at the gate." He tipped his hat, and stepped out of the way. "Good luck."

Love cracked his knuckles, and tucked his zanpakutou into his belt. "Let's get this started," he glanced back at Shinji. "You gonna be all right?"

Shinji waved his hand dismissively. "I'll be fine. I'll keep ya guys updated on those two, and whatever else goes down."

As the six of them moseyed towards the gate, Yoruichi leaned against a large rock and watched them approach. Before they could start to enter, she asked, "What exactly do you plan on finding?"

Riza looked over at Yoruichi. "Not much, if anything, but it's worth a shot."

The former captain nodded, and stretched out her back. "You never know. I imagine Kyouraku and Ukitake will be helping you figure out how to work the circuits, so you should be okay." She began to turn, but suddenly stopped mid-way. "And oh, a piece of advice: try not to expect anything obvious. Sometimes, storytellers tell more about the past than history books do."

Rose nodded to her. "An interesting note. We'll definitely bear that in mind."

She nodded back, and fell silent as they stood in front of the senkaimon. Shinji slowly began backpedaling, exchanging a few glances with the others. "Knock yerselves out."

"Right, when I bash a book into my head out of insanity," Hiyori muttered.

Kensei snorted lightly. "I hear you. If I don't get the urge to wreck the place by the end of this, I'll be amazed." He motioned for the others. They turned around to give their comrades one last silent good-bye, nodding to them before they walked into the open gate, and disappeared into the white light.

Walking out into the bright, sunny afternoon, Orihime breathed a sigh of relief. She still felt overwhelmed whenever she tried to pay attention to the lessons, but she knew that starting tomorrow, she could finally begin to catch up.

She, Ishida, Ichigo, and Sado all agreed to begin their study group sessions the next day at Ishida's house. There were butterflies in her belly at the thought of spending a lot of time within close proximity with Ichigo, but then she reminded herself that Sado and Ishida would also be there, and her stomach settled. It wasn't like she would be alone with Ichigo.

How strange. I feel apprehensive about being alone with him, but knowing that I won't be disappoints me a little. Hmmm… she glanced skyward, and sighed heavily. I'm a little bummed that I can't go to Kurosaki-kun's house either, but I guess if Kuchik- er, Rukia-chan agreed that we shouldn't go…

As she began walking down the stairs, she smiled. Rukia-chan kept giving me strange smiles all day. I guess she's glad she finally knows what's really going on. Everyone was so surprised when we addressed each other informally, but they didn't seem to mind otherwise.

She recalled lunch, when everyone first heard her call Rukia by her first name. Though everyone was surprised, only Chizuru was upset, but only because she was afraid that Rukia was aiming to "take her Orihime-chan from her." Rukia managed to persuade Chizuru that she wasn't, but not before she said, "I'm not the one you should be worried about."

That statement had bothered Orihime the rest of the day, even after Rukia later told her she was completely kidding. I want to believe her but, lately, I don't know. Shinji-kun, Rukia-chan… they've all-

She came to an abrupt stop at the bottom of the steps when she spotted Hitsugaya in the distance, donned in his shihakusho. He was staring straight at her. Their gazes locked, and he jerked his head to the side, a beckon for her to follow him. He began to walk away from the school, and Orihime tried to look nonchalant as she followed him from a distance, trying to keep up without making it look like she was following someone.

Where she was clumsy, Hitsugaya was agile. He had little trouble dodging people and objects littered on the streets, while Orihime struggled not to trip or fall. She apologized profusely to everyone she bumped or stumbled into. Luckily, Hitsugaya must have realized her plight, because his pace eventually slowed down, and he was more careful of where he stepped.

He led her through the streets and straight into a wooded area right outside of town. She cautiously treaded through the undergrowth, keeping in mind her permanent lack of balance as she pushed aside tree branches and continued following after Hitsugaya. Eventually, they entered a small clearing, and he stopped.

"Sorry to lead you out so far, Inoue-san" were the first words out of his mouth as he turned to face her. "But, I wasn't sure if it was all right to use your home as a meeting place."

Orihime plucked a stray twig out of her hair. "Ah, it's fine! I was expecting to talk to you at some point, anyway." She smiled knowingly at him. "I imagine you want to talk to me about lodging?"

He scratched his head, and looked away sheepishly. "Partly, yes. But," his guilty look turned into one of concern, "not just for me."

She nodded. "Rangiku-san will be coming as well?"

"Later," he said, "after she recovers. Matsumoto was injured in the last confrontation, and she'll be recuperating for a few weeks, I believe."

R-Rangiku-san? Injured? Orihime swallowed, beating back the worried tone in her voice as she said, "Oh. Were her injuries serious?"

The captain smiled softly, perhaps trying to look reassuring. "It wasn't pretty, but Matsumoto is tough. She's taken worse beatings before. She was being her usual annoying self when I talked to her yesterday evening, so she'll be all right." He chuckled derisively. "She'll be here, driving us insane before you know it."

Orihime wished she could go to Soul Society to treat her injured friend, but it seemed like she would have to leave her in Unohana's hands. Not that she didn't trust the fourth division captain, but she would have felt better going to Soul Society and healing Matsumoto herself. It was a small bane of being a healer, she supposed. "I hope she recovers quickly. It hasn't been the same without the two of you around." She smiled brightly. "I still have your futons, and I can set them back up tonight and have them ready for you tomor-"

Hitsugaya didn't like asking big favors of anyone, and Orihime wasn't surprised at his hesitance. Still, his increasingly guilty look told her there was something else. "Hitsugaya-taichou?"

He sighed. "Inoue-san, I…" Teeth gritted, he struggled internally, and Orihime said nothing until he spoke again. "Yumichika and Ikkaku aren't going to be sent back this time. They're sending a vice-captain in place of them."

It didn't take long for her to put two and two together and figure out what Hitsugaya was trying to tell her. "Oh! I can lodge a third person. It might be a little cramped in the apartment, but we can fit someone in! I don't mind at all."

"I know you don't, but this vice-captain… she's an old friend of mine. Her name is Hinamori Momo, and she was Aizen's vice-captain."

Hinamori. It was a name she heard Matsumoto talk about once. Orihime knew two things about Momo – that she nearly died because of Aizen, and that his betrayal had taken a huge toll on her. "Rangiku-san mentioned her once. I don't know a lot of the details, but I heard Hinamori-fukutaichou is sort of in a bad way."

"To put it lightly." There was something in his eyes; a tightness in the corners, and an unreadable pain. Orihime's heart recoiled from the depth of that feeling. "She's hanging on by a thin thread. She's- she's not that stable. If you-"

She shook her head. "No. Please, she's welcome at my home. I'm not going to turn her away, not when she needs help." She crossed her arms, and her tone was final, although there was still a soft smile on her face. "When are you coming?" she asked, not leaving him any room for arguing.

Hitsugaya bowed his head, and squeezed his eyes shut. "Thank you, Inoue-san. We'll be sent here tomorrow night."

"Hmm. That'll give me time to set up. And- oh! I could make a special dinner! Do you think she'll like that?"

Hitsugaya probably knew better than to ask Orihime just what she had in mind for a "special dinner." Even if their stomachs would dread the meal, it was the thought that counted. "Yes. She would love that," he answered, looking back up at her.

Orihime nodded enthusiastically, already mentally going through her list of recipes. "I'll give it my best effort. And, um," she smiled shyly, "I don't know her, or claim to know how she's feeling, but… if I can help at all, let me know?"

She didn't understand the surprise that flashed in his eyes, but before she could mull over it, he nodded. "Thank you, again," he sighed quietly, "Normally, I'd tell you not to worry, but, I think Hinamori is going to need all the help she can get."

To say that Sado was out of his element would be a gross understatement. Actually sitting down with Ichigo, in an attempt to discuss something that was mysterious and potentially awkward was not something he considered himself to be good at. He and Ichigo bonded through silence, actions, and the occasional few words. Those words were, more often than not, spoken by Ichigo.

He didn't know how to go about the task he volunteered for, but he said he would do it, and he would see it through. His first course of action, after managing to get Ichigo to agree to hang out with him, was to go for some kakigori. His goal was to get his thoughts together while eating the syrup-coated ice shavings. That, and he had a strange urge for some.

The friends said very little to each other as they ate their kakigori on a bench in the nearby park. Ichigo was busy savoring his cherry-flavored ice, giving Sado ample time to figure out how he wanted to start off the conversation. He spent several minutes deliberately taking his time in eating his melon-flavored ice. He rolled the shavings around in his mouth and sucked on the sweet syrup. He was delaying the inevitable, but he mentally reasoned that he was doing so in better preparation for it.

He was halfway through his cup of kakigori when he finally gathered his wits and decided to begin. He took a deep breath, and said, "Ichigo?"

"Yo."

Sado paused, shifting his ice around with his spoon. "There's something I need to ask you."

Ichigo nodded, scooping out some of his kakigori. "Ask away."

Sado toyed with the cup on his lap, struggling to recall the words he had planned out. "Remember a few days ago, when the captains came to thank us in Urahara's training ground, and then you got upset with them?"

He wasn't sure whether to be surprised or not at the sudden defensive tone in Ichigo's voice. "Yeah. What of it?"

So he does know. Since Ichigo didn't provide any explanation for his behavior towards the captains, Sado had questioned whether or not Ichigo really knew what he was doing at the time. It wasn't very unlike of his friend to act rashly and not realize it. "Ichigo, what happened?" He looked over at his best friend.

Ichigo stared down at his kakigori, rotating the white cup in his hands. "I don't know, but it was probably my inner Hollow acting up."

Sado shook his head. "Your reiatsu spiked, but it was still normal. No Hollow."

The spinning cup froze as Ichigo glanced over at him, his expression alarmed. "What?"

That was the reason for no explanation. Ichigo had already formed his own explanation and written it off as something else. "I've felt your reiatsu when you use your Hollow powers. Nothing like that happened."

Ichigo looked back down at his cup. Sado could see his grip on the cup tighten as his fingers broke through the Styrofoam. "So, it was all me, you're saying."

It was as Sado feared: this was going to be a strange, awkward, and now embarrassing conversation. Words seemed pointless, so he merely nodded.

His friend hung his head. "Shit."

While he didn't want to make it worse, he had to tell him, "Rukia said you had this, uh, possessive look when Inoue looked at you."

"Double shit."

Sado sighed, and refrained from smacking his palm onto his forehead. "Sorry. Some of us noticed it, and we just wanted to know what happened." If it hadn't been for the strange events that took place the day before that incident occurred, Sado wouldn't have paid much mind to it. But Shinji asked him, and he really did wonder what was going on, so he had to question Ichigo. "I don't like prying, but we're concerned. Honestly."

Ichigo blew out a breath. "It's all right," he murmured. "I'm just surprised they told you to talk to me."

Sado half smiled. "It was a mutual agreement. I don't think Abarai or Ishida would approach you the right way, and Kuchiki's idea of getting you to talk is to beat it out of you. Besides," he shrugged, "she was going to talk to Inoue about it."

Ichigo's fist suddenly slammed into the bench. "That damn lying, demonic midget! I knew she was up to something!"

Completely clueless as to what he was referring to, Sado blinked.

Ichigo mumbled something under his breath, and then shook his head. "Er, nevermind. Anyway, uh, right. Inoue. Training ground." He ground his teeth together, and hissed a breath. "I don't know what to tell you.

"I remember getting pissed at the captains for using Inoue and us like they did." His eyes gradually closed as he recalled what happened. "Then I just – I don't know. This strange, foreign rage just built up in me. It was like – it seemed like…"

Sado waited patiently and didn't say a word as Ichigo beat the heel of his hand into his forehead, like he was trying to force the memory to turn into words. "My instincts told me the captains were a threat. I had to hide Inoue, even though it was impossible. I remember thinking that I didn't want them near her, and suddenly, Inoue said something to me."

Once he stopped hitting himself, he rested his forehead on his open palm. "I looked at her, and I thought, 'I have to protect her. She looks so helpless. How can anyone ever do anything against my Orihime?'"

Sado nearly did a double-take. He was tempted to ask, but he instead decided that perhaps saying nothing would urge Ichigo to continue. He grunted incredulously, but said nothing further.

His companion snorted softly. "I realized what I was thinking, and that's when I snapped out of it. I honestly don't think of her like that, so that's why I chalked it up as my Hollow's doing." He opened his eyes, and glanced wearily at Sado. "It was so weird. I – I should have apologized, but I didn't know what to say."

Sado glanced away uneasily. "Inoue was acting strangely, too. That's why Kuchiki talked to her last night. It wasn't justyou."

Ichigo tossed his forgotten kakigori into the trash bin next to him. "I don't know whether to be relieved or worried by that." He stood up, stretching his back before picking up his school bag. "I just don't get it."

Sado threw away his kakigori as well, and got up from his seat shortly after Ichigo did. He gave his friend a questioning glance.

"Me. Inoue. All of this. Why me? Why her? Why now? I…" Ichigo looked off into the distance, clutching his bag tightly in his fist. "I don't know what I'm feeling, and I'm not sure if I should be worried or – or if I even want to fight it. Or if I even should."

Because he didn't have answers for him, Sado merely clapped Ichigo on the shoulder, and nodded to him: wordless support.

So, once again, with the discussion over and done with, silence enveloped the two. They walked side by side, not one of them uttering a word, but yet, enjoying the blissful, peaceful quiet.

Sado didn't know what would lay in store for Ichigo as they uncovered more about his bond with Orihime. He wasn't sure what they would find out, or what the repercussions would be. He resigned himself to this, knowing there was nothing he could do to change it. For the time being, he would simply be Ichigo's support. He would always have his back, whether it be against any foe, threat, or force.

Or even the painful truth.

Orihime had just skipped away, rambling on about the ingredients she needed to buy for tomorrow night's special dinner (which would give Hitsugaya an ulcer, he was sure of it) when his phone went off.

He hadn't been expecting any calls. Frowning quizzically, he pulled out his communicator, and with a quick movement of his thumb, flipped it open and held it to his ear. "Hitsugaya."

"Ah! So prompt! I hope I wasn't interrupting anything."

The young captain blinked, and his face was blank in surprise. "…Ukitake?"

"Yes. Sorry for such an unexpected call, but something's come up."

A little part of Hitsugaya hoped that they changed their minds about Hinamori, but he knew he would have no such luck. Whatever it was that happened, he felt no reason to worry. Ukitake sounded laidback and calm over the line, so he was sure he had no reason not to be, either. "A development?" he asked.

"That's probably the best way to describe it. We had-" He paused. There were other, muted voices in the background. Hitsugaya couldn't make out what Ukitake was saying, and all he could do was wait until the elder captain finished. A minute later, he came back on the line. "Sorry about that. I was asked to inform you that a senkaimon gate will be opened near your location in a few minutes. Now, since we're a tad short on time, I'll make a long story short and give you details later. We had a small group of shinigami from the secret remote squad investigate a major Hollow disturbance in a town near Karakura."

He cleared his throat. "While they were scouting, they spotted Tousen."

"T-Tousen?" Hitsugaya sputtered in surprise. He became quickly annoyed at himself for losing his cool, and took a moment to reign in his shock before speaking again. "What was he doing there, do they know?"

Ukitake chuckled lightly. "I said the same thing. We weren't expecting to see them so soon. To answer your question, no. We think he might have been the reason behind the disturbance. When he saw the group, he made a quick exit through a Garganta."

Well, that answered the most pressing question regarding the two traitors. "So, they've been in Hueco Mundo all along. What's our initiative?"

"Well, allow me to quote what Zaraki suggested:" His voice deepened to imitate Kenpachi. "'Let them stay there and rot.'" He coughed, and Hitsugaya heard him pound against something, most likely his chest. "Ugh, still recovering from that cold. Anyway, I'm not too keen on the 'rotting' part, but for the time being, we have no choice but to watch and wait. There's no telling what we'd run into if we tried to confront them in Hueco Mundo. Right now, we can't afford to take many risks."

"I understand. In that case, I'll contact Abarai once I return to Soul Society and tell him to spread the word. Although, I have a feeling they're avoiding Karakura for the time being."

He couldn't see it, but he was sure Ukitake was probably nodding in agreement. "I don't see why they would go near the town right now. We might be in disarray, but having shinigami stationed there, plus Shinji, Kurosaki and the humans, it'd be…"

"Suicidal?" Hitsugaya suggested.

"Aha, that works, too. Right, I've kept you long enough. Please do inform Abarai-fukutaichou about this, and signal the alert. With us having spotted him, I doubt Tousen will make a move, nor Ichimaru." Ukitake sighed. "Still, better safe than sorry.

"The gate will open at any moment. I know you'll be busy the rest of the day, but I hope to give you more details tomorrow. If not, well, what are communicators for? Take care, Hitsugaya."

"You, too. Oh, Ukitake. Before you go, I wanted to ask." Hitsugaya ran a hand through his hair. "Any change with the soutaichou? I've been so busy with everything else, I forgot to check in on that."

"…No, I'm afraid not. He's not getting worse, though. Just not better."

Hitsugaya cursed under his breath, although the news wasn't a surprise. "I was afraid of that."

Even over the phone, he could hear the infinite patience Ukitake seemed to posses in his tone. "It's going to be hard without him, temporary or permanent. But we'll be okay. Shunsui and Unohana are handling it pretty well. The rest of us are doing everything we can to support them. And the human world will be fine. Between you, three fukutaichou, Kuchiki, Ichigo and the talented humans, Urahara and those at the Shouten, and Shinji's group, there's nothing to worry about."

The tenth squad's leader kept quiet, casting his eyes to the ground. But isn't that when things happen, when you think you're safe? It happened last time, didn't it?

"Hitsugaya?"

He shook his head. Maybe it was paranoia. But anxiousness or not…

"Er, sorry. Spaced out. I'm sure you're right. We'll be fine," he lied.

This time, he would not be letting his guard down.

Interestingly, many who resided in Karakura Town seemed to have a reason to keep their guard up. Urahara and Yoruichi always seemed to be ready for something, the Vizards always had their guards up for seemingly everything, and the shinigami who were stationed in the town did as well, although for solely professional reasons.

Ichigo did, too. Not because he was sensing for Hollows, or because he was being hunted. His reason had everything to do with his inner Hollow, and making sure he remained "the king," as his Hollow once put it.

Although Ichigo was the one in control, his inner Hollow still existed in his soul. Ichigo was only made aware of what it said and did when it wanted him to know what it was saying and doing. Otherwise, the Hollow could run around in a pink tutu and Ichigo would be none the wiser.

Such was the case that night. As Ichigo slept, he was oblivious to the temper tantrum the Hollow was throwing in Zangetsu's world. If he could hear him, he'd been up all night to the sound of glass smashing and buildings being toppled.

"'I don't know what I'm feeling,' he says. 'I don't know if I should be worried or if I even want to fight it,' he said. That goddamn idiot! Of course you should be fighting it!"

The Hollow launched a Getsuga Tenshou at another hapless skyscraper. It ripped through the structure, slicing the top half off and sending the rest of it crumbling.

The Hollow's chest was heaving; clearly, he had been on a rampage for quite some time. It stabbed the end of its sword into the ground, and leaned against it as support. While its energy level was running how, its anger and rage seemed to be limitless.

"Going on a wrecking spree will do nothing."

The Hollow cursed vehemently. Was his strength so low, it wondered, that that stupid old man was able to come out? It jerked its head towards Zangetsu, and sneered. "Shut up. It's not like I have anything fucking better to do."

Zangetsu looked away from it, glancing out over the destruction the Hollow wrought. "It'll just repair itself."

"All the more reason I can do it," it said.

The avatar sighed. "Even you will realize in time that it's just a pointless and futile exercise." He paused, and then casted his gaze back to the Hollow. "I know you loathe the situation, and to be honest, it's concerning me as well, but we both must accept it."

The snarl the Hollow let loose echoed through the world. "You're concerned?" he asked mockingly.

Zangetsu frowned at the Hollow. "Interesting. I thought you'd love the chaos this has wrought."

This was answered with another Getsuga, this time aimed just above the man's head. It flew over him, and demolished yet another building. "Not if I can't enjoy it. Not if it affects me like this. I don't get to – the King-"

The Hollow clenched its free hand into a tight fist. "I. Can't. Hate. Her. I want to, that damn br – br - grrrrrr…"

"I think the word you're looking for is 'broad,' I assume?"

It flung its hands into the air, sending its sword flying in some indiscriminate direction. "I can't even call her any names! She did this to us, and I can't hate her because of him! Every time I want to hate her, every time I want to spit on her name and yearn to see her torn to shreds, I can't!" It began stomping around, kicking anything that was in the way. "I want to protect that girl as much as he does, even though she pisses me off, or she should be pissing me off! Ever since King and I went into that form, we-"

Zangetsu raised his brow. "Did you think that unleashing your full Hollow powers and combining them with Ichigo wouldn't have consequences? You know what it requires, to be a full Hollow. What did you think would happen when you assumed a full Hollow form?"

"Nothing like what did happen!" the Hollow snapped. "How the hell was I supposed to know that would happen and she'd be able to stop us, and that everything would be happening this fast?"

"It's the risk you took. What happened in Las Noches is neither your fault, Ichigo's fault, nor Inoue's fault. She did not ask for this to happen, either," Zangetsu reminded him sternly. "What's done is done. While it may cause problems for the both of us, it is unavoidable. Their fates are interwoven, and their bond grows stronger by the day. It's only a matter of time before-"

"Don't." The Hollow glared fiercely at the avatar. "Don't even say it. If the King does… that… I'm screwed. I probably won't even be mad that I can't be mad anymore. That woman, she's just-"

Orihime's image appeared in its mind. It was the most vivid one it had of her, the moment when she appeared behind it on the dome, tearful and pleading. As other thoughts of her flooded its memory, its glare softened into a pensive frown.

"'She's just'?" Zangetsu pressed.

The Hollow shook its head. "Something else" was all it could muster, with its energy suddenly drained and its anger dying down. In an uncharacteristic moment of passiveness, the Hollow glanced over at Zangetsu, and quietly asked, "It's going to happen, isn't it?"

The zanpakutou could only nod.

"That's what I get for letting King have reign," it muttered.

Zangetsu slowly began to walk forward towards the Hollow. "Using your beloved metaphor, for every king, there is a queen. We may not have a choice in the matter, but Inoue Orihime is a gentle soul. She takes better care of Ichigo than anyone." He stopped in front of the Hollow, a confused frown suddenly etched into his expression. He sighed, and pointed at something behind the Hollow.

It turned its head, wondering what the hell Zangetsu could be pointing at, considering there was nothing but skyscrapers in their world.

The Hollow almost didn't see what he was pointing at, until something glistened at the edge of a nearby building. Curiosity piqued, it flash-stepped over to the object, and knelt down next to it. The object was small, it mentally noted. There was a stem that sprouted from a miniscule crack on top of the building, which then seemingly disappeared over the edge of the roof. The Hollow leaned over the side of the skyscraper to get a better look.

If it had a heart, it would have stopped dead in its chest.

On the end of that stem was a flower. Specifically, a six-petal flower, very much like a hibiscus. It was also silver-blue, and had a metallic sheen that glinted in the sunlight: an exact replica of the hairpins that Orihime wore.

Before the Hollow could fully get back up on his feet and tell Zangetsu what he saw, a searing pain on his hand nearly caused him to fall off the roof in surprise. The Hollow threw itself back and away from the edge, and sputtered out curses as it gripped its aching hand. When the pain dulled, he hesitantly lifted his good hand to examine the damage.

He had been branded. Branded with a flower on the top of his hand. He jerked his head towards Zangetsu, who was gingerly examining his hand. Agitated, the Hollow flash-stepped back to Zangetsu, and raised his burned hand. "This is goin' too far," he spat.

The zanpakutou lifted his hand, also branded with a six-petal flower. "This," he said with a concerned frown, "is only the beginning."